Yellow Skin, Which Mask?


by Daniel Xu
3294 words



Abstract


Yellow Skin, White Masks


Yellow Skin, Yellow Masks


Yellow Skin, Which Mask?


Yellow Skin, Any Mask


References

Yellow Skin, Which Mask?




Daniel Xu

HUM309: Postcolonial Theory

Word Count: 3294




Abstract 


Black Skin, White Masks, originally published in 1952, is one of Frantz Fanon’s most important works in which he shares his own experiences to present a historical critique of the effects of racism on the human psyche. His psychoanalysis reveals the oppressed Black man to navigate his environment through the performance of White-ness. Borrowing from Fanon, in this essay I embark upon my own ethnographic journey, sharing my experiences to examine and critique the way in which Yellow-ness is constructed, produced, and denied. I finish by introducing Bhabha’s understanding of mimicry, and questioning whether it offers any relief to navigating the identities of Yellow-ness and White-ness.